Local council byelections 26 March

[Robert Waller]

From Middleenglander on another thread:

26th March - 5
Fife UA, Glenrothes West & Kinglassie - Labour died - 8 candidates: Con, Lab, LD, SNP, UKIP, Green, 2 x Ind
Moray UA, Buckie - Independent died - 3 candidates: Con, SNP, Ind
Vale of Glamorgan UA, Llantwit Major - Llantwit Major First Independent died
Western Isles UA - Beinn na Foghla agus Uibhist a Tuath - Labour resigned - 2 candidates: SNP, Ind
West Lothian UA, Armadale & Blackridge - SNP disqualified for non-attendance - 5 candidates: Con, Lab, SNP, Green, Ind

I was just wondering whether anyone is in a position to put up the usual extremely helpful information about nominations etc? I know it would be much appreciated.

[marksenior]

Sorry no time at moment but candidates in Vale of Glam are Con/Lab/Plaid/Llantwit First Ind

[peterl]

Quite disappointing for UKIP with only 1 candidates out of 5 seats. Though not unexpected I suppose with 4 out of 5 contests in Scotland.

[Ben Walker]

Especially given that out of all of them, Vale of Glamorgan is the most receptive area. Shame the branches in South Wales are so shit.

[Tony Otim]

FIFE, Glenrothes West and Kinglassie
2012: Lab 1424, 708; SNP 941, 940, 349; Pensioners 271; Ind 192, 147; Con 155; LD 83
2007: SNP 1835, 1275; Lab 1627, 585; Con 384; Ind 376; LD 369

Martin GREEN (UKIP)
Jane Anne LISTON (LD)
Alan SEATH (Labour)
Craig WALKER (SNP)
John WHEATLEY (Conservative)

[Tony Otim]

MORAY, Buckie
2014 by:Ind 1034, 248; SNP 710; Con 143
2012: SNP 967, 169; Ind 648, 557; Con 179
2007: SNP 1188; Ind 708, 698, 169; Lab 507; Con 397

Norman George CALDER (Independent)
Tim EAGLE (Conservative)
Sonya WARREN (SNP)

[Tony Otim]

Vale of Glamorgan, Llantwit Major
2012: L1st 2068, 1603, 1490, 1327; Con 813, 759, 544, 536; Lab 541, 502, 471, 411; PC 269
2008: L1st 1894, 1748, 1470, 1164; Con 1291, 1127, 901, 871; Lab 438, 400, 348, 298; PC 270; Ind 262

Wynford BELLIN (Plaid Cymru)
Tony BENNETT (Conservative)
Jack HAWKINS (Labour)
Mick MASON (Llantwit First)

[Tony Otim]

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Beinn na Foghla agus Uibhist a Tuath
2012: Ind 316, 212, 93, 75; Lab 204; SNP 177
2007: Lab 459; INd 343, 251, 203, 58

Roslyn Margaret MacPHERSON (SNP)
Andrew WALKER (Independent)

[Tony Otim]

WEST LOTHIAN, Armadale and Blackridge
2012: Ind 2541; SNP 861, 168; Lab 788; Con 125
2007: Ind 1385, 780; Lab 1330; SNP 1156, 517; Con 252; LD 137; SSP 55

Ian BURGESS (Conservative)
Jenny JOHNSON (Scottish GReen Party)
Sarah KING (SNP)
Scott MACKAY (Independen)
Andrew McGUIRE (Labour)

[Tony Otim]

The vacancy in Moray was caused after the incumbent was run over by his own mobility scooter.

[The Bishop]

Mar 25, 2015 15:12:46 GMT Tony Otim said:

Vale of Glamorgan, Llantwit Major
2012: L1st 2068, 1603, 1490, 1327; Con 813, 759, 544, 536; Lab 541, 502, 471, 411; PC 269
2008: L1st 1894, 1748, 1470, 1164; Con 1291, 1127, 901, 871; Lab 438, 400, 348, 298; PC 270; Ind 262

Wynford BELLIN (Plaid Cymru)
Tony BENNETT (Conservative)
Jack HAWKINS (Labour)
Mick MASON (Llantwit First)

2004 results, for completeness: Ind 1879, 1371, 1360, 957; Con 1146, 988, 744, 671; Lab 783, 741, 706; PC 437.

[East Anglian Lefty]

Mar 25, 2015 13:26:24 GMT Ben Walker said:

Especially given that out of all of them, Vale of Glamorgan is the most receptive area. Shame the branches in South Wales are so shit.

I'd be intrigued by the take of another poster on this.

[maxque]

It seems it's the first by-election in West Lothians since October 1997.

[East Anglian Lefty]

I'm surprised we still haven't got a candidate in Buckie. I know several fairly dedicated Labour activists who grew up there, you'd think there'd be one or two who hadn't moved away.

[Tony Otim]

Mar 26, 2015 11:07:11 GMT East Anglian Lefty said:

I'm surprised we still haven't got a candidate in Buckie. I know several fairly dedicated Labour activists who grew up there, you'd think there'd be one or two who hadn't moved away.

Although you didn't manage one last year or in 2012, so maybe not that surprising.

[Deleted]

Mar 25, 2015 23:15:17 GMT East Anglian Lefty said:

Mar 25, 2015 13:26:24 GMT Ben Walker said:

Especially given that out of all of them, Vale of Glamorgan is the most receptive area. Shame the branches in South Wales are so shit.

I'd be intrigued by the take of another poster on this.

Well I don't know about the second part but as for the first part the Vale of Glamorgan has, I believe, the largest UKIP group of any unitary authority in the country.

[marksenior]

Mar 26, 2015 18:32:14 GMT @davedare said:

Mar 25, 2015 23:15:17 GMT East Anglian Lefty said:

I'd be intrigued by the take of another poster on this.

Well I don't know about the second part but as for the first part the Vale of Glamorgan has, I believe, the largest UKIP group of any unitary authority in the country.

They only have 1 councillor as far as I can tell !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are in a grouping with various Independents

[Deleted]

I stand by what I said !

[andrewteale]

This week's previews, as sent to Kris:

Five by-elections on 26th March 2015, four in Scotland and one in Wales:

ARMADALE AND BLACKRIDGE, West Lothian council; caused by the disqualification of SNP councillor Isabel Hutton, who failed to attend any meetings of the council in six months.

This ward is centred on the town of Armadale at the western end of West Lothian, on the A89 Glasgow-Edinburgh road. The A89 was once the principal road between the two cities, and Armadale's location roughly halfway between the two started to bring it some prosperity; but it was mining for coal and ironstone, together with some brickmaking, which brought the town properly into existence during the early nineteenth century. The ward also covers a rural hinterland including the large village of Blackridge to the west, also on the A89, and the smaller Torphichen to the north-east, and has recently been re-connected to the railway network with the opening of the Airdrie-Bathgate line in 2011: part of the North Clyde line, Armadale and Blackridge stations have half-hourly trains to Bathgate, Livingston and through to Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Having won two out of three of the predecessor wards in the last first-past-the-post election of 2003, the SNP fell back a bit in the first PR election of 2007: the two SNP candidates between them polled 30%, but at the top of poll was independent candidate Stuart Borrowman, who had been elected for the SNP in 2003 but deselected; he polled just under 25% with the Labour candidate Jim Dixon on 24% and outgoing independent councillor Duncan Maclean on 14%. Borrowman, Dixon and Hutton were elected, with Maclean finishing a long way behind. In 2012 the three councillors were re-elected; Borrowman this time polled 56% of the first preferences to 23% for the SNP and 18% for Labour, with Dixon and Hutton being elected from Borrowman's surplus. Borrowman's second preferences in 2012 slightly favoured Labour, although not by enough to catch the nationalists.

Defending for the SNP is Sarah King, a resource planner and mother-of-two. Freelance writer Scott Mackay is standing as an independent, while the Labour candidate is Andrew McGuire. Also on the ballot paper are Ian Burgess for the Tories and Jenny Johnson of the Green Party.

Westminster constituency: Linlithgow and East Falkirk
Holyrood constituency: Linlithgow (Lothian region)
ONS Travel to Work Area: Livingston and Bathgate

Ian Burgess (C)
Jenny Johnson (Grn)
Sarah King (SNP)
Scott Mackay (Ind)
Andrew McGuire (Lab)


May 2012 result Ind 2541 SNP 1029 Lab 788 C 125 (elected: Ind/Lab/SNP)
May 2007 result SNP 1673 Ind 1385 Lab 1330 Ind 780 C 252 LD 137 SSP 55 (elected: Ind/Lab/SNP)



BEINN NA FOGHLA AGUS UIBHIST A TUATH, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar; caused by the resignation of Labour councillor Archie Campbell on health grounds. A former teacher, Campbell had served on the council since 1999.

In English, that is BENBECULA AND NORTH UIST, Western Isles council. These are two islands connected to each other by a causeway, with a large number of small associated islets. North Uist is the larger island by area, although Benbecula has a slightly larger population. The population of the islands was once much higher, but the Highland clearances and the failure of the kelp industry led to major emigration to Cape Breton Island, off Nova Scotia, in the early nineteenth century.

The ward's main settlements are Balivanich on Benbecula and Lochmaddy, on North Uist. Lochmaddy has regular ferries to Uig on the Isle of Skye and Leverburgh in Harris, while there are regular flights from Benbecula Airport to Stornoway and Glasgow - the ward's only direct link to the mainland. Benbecula Airport was once an RAF base, and the air force maintains a radar station in the ward: Benbecula is also the site of the main offices for QinetiQ's military firing range on South Uist. Over the half the population is Gaelic-speaking, while the generally low-lying and peaty nature of the islands results in a reputation for birdlife. Included within the ward, although with no electorate, is the isolated St Kilda archipelago, one of Scotland's five world heritage sites and highly unusual in being on both the natural and cultural list of world heritage sites.

The Outer Hebrides generally votes for independent candidates, although Archie Campbell was a bit of an exception as an official Labour candidate: before 2003 he represented the Paible ward which covered the northern half of North Uist, being returned unopposed at that election - as were the independent councillors for the two other predecessor wards, Lochmaddy and North Benbecula. The introduction of PR led to contested elections but no change in the partisan balance: Campbell topped the poll in 2007 ahead of four independent candidates, and was safely re-elected in 2012 in second place ahead of an independent and an SNP candidate.

There is no defending Labour candidate in the by-election, so this seat is up for grabs. It will be a straight fight between two Benbecula-based candidates, both of whom are calling for more flights to Stornoway. Independent candidate Andrew Walker is secretary of Benbecula community council and is retired after forty years' experience as a social worker. In the nationalist corner is Roslyn Macpherson, a counsellor for a childbirth charity.

Westminster and Holyrood constituency: Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Highlands and Islands region)
ONS Travel to Work Area: Eilean Siar

Roslyn Macpherson (SNP)
Andrew Walker (Ind)

May 2012 result Ind 696 Lab 204 SNP 177 (seats: 2Ind/1Lab)
May 2007 result Ind 855 Lab 459 (seats: 2Ind/1Lab)


BUCKIE, Moray council; caused by the death of Independent councillor Joe Mackay at the age of 86. A retired fishing boat skipper, Mackay had been a Moray councillor since winning a by-election in 2004, and gave his name to an annual award for Buckie High School's brightest student. His death was the result of an accident in which he was run down by his own mobility scooter.

Moray district's third largest town (after Elgin and Forres), Buckie developed in the nineteenth century as a fishing port concentrating on shellfish. The fishing industry is less important now, but related industries such as boatbuilding (the local shipyard is the main company refitting Britain's lifeboats) and the North Sea oil industry are still important to the local economy. The ward named after Buckie, which returns three members to Moray council, also includes the villages of Rathven and Findochty to the east.

At local council level Buckie's votes traditionally to go independents. In the last first-past-the-post council election in 2003 independents won two of the wards covering the town, the other (Buckie Central) being won by Labour. Mackay, as stated, won a by-election in Buckie West in July 2004. The introduction of PR in 2007 led to a shake-up in the town's representation: the ward's other independent councillor stood down and the Labour councillor was defeated, a new independent and the SNP candidate (who topped the poll) joining Mackay on the council. The SNP tried for two seats in 2012 and managed to increase their vote from 1.29 quotas to 1.80 quotas, but it wasn't enough to dislodge the two independent councillors who polled 1.91 quotas between them and were both re-elected easily thanks to favourable Conservative transfers. The other independent councillor, Anne McKay, resigned in late 2013 for personal reasons: the by-election, held in January 2014, saw new independent candidate Gordon Cowie defeat the SNP 59-41 in the final round.

None of the candidates from the 2014 by-election are trying again. The new independent candidate is Norman Calder, a retired naval officer who competed in the 2014 series of Great British Bake Off, finishing seventh out of twelve contestants. Businesswoman Sonya Warren stands for the SNP, and Tim Eagle is the Conservative candidate.

Westminster constituency: Moray
Holyrood constituency: Banffshire and Buchan Coast (North East Scotland region)
ONS Travel to Work Area: Moray

Norman Calder (Ind)
Tim Eagle (C)
Sonya Warren (SNP)

Jan 2014 by-election Ind 830 SNP 670 Ind 220 C 143 (after transfers: Ind 1034 SNP 710)
May 2012 result Ind 1205 (2 seats) SNP 1136 (1 seat) C 179
May 2007 result Ind 1575 (2 seats) SNP 1188 (1 seat) Lab 507 C 397


GLENROTHES WEST AND KINGLASSIE, Fife council; caused by the death of Labour councillor Betty Campbell at the age of 76. Described as a tireless community worker, Campbell had served on Fife council since 2007.

For our final Scottish by-election of the week we move on to a New Town which has become the county town of Fife. Originally intended as a pit town to serve a short-lived colliery at Thornton, Glenrothes instead became a centre for manufacturing specialising in electronics, resulting in the town turning into part of the so-called "Silicon Glen". Global economic changes mean that the Silicon Glen is no longer as important as it was, but manufacturing, particularly in paper - the Tullis Russell paperworks has been here for over two centuries, predating the town - remains a major employer. To the south-west of the town lies the pit village of Kinglassie; in between is Fife Airport which, despite its grand name, is in fact a minor aerodrome for private light aircraft.

In the noughties this has been a strong SNP area, the nationalists winning two or three wards in this area in 2003 (depending which areas you count as predecessors to the modern ward). The two elections here since PR was introduced in 2007 have both resulted in the SNP and Labour winning two seats each. The SNP tried for three seats in the 2012 election, but with Labour polling two quotas the third seat was not on; interestingly, a decline in the SNP vote led to the runner-up candidate being from the All Scotland Pensioners Party, who got ahead of the third SNP candidate on Tory transfers. The SNP are, of course, doing very well in Scotland at the moment, and held a by-election in nearby Kirkcaldy a couple of months ago thanks to a big swing from Labour: a gain here could have implications for Fife council's minority Labour administration, which only holds 35 out of 75 seats.

Defending for Labour is Alan Seath, who has had a long career in planning and construction. The SNP candidate is Craig Walker who was the third SNP candidate here in 2012; he is the chairman of the local SNP branch and a keen cricketer. Also on the ballot are John Wheatley (from Lochgelly) for the Tories, Jane Liston (from St Andrews) for the Lib Dems and Martin Green for UKIP.

Westminster constituency: Glenrothes
Holyrood constituency: Mid Fife and Glenrothes (Mid Scotland and Fife region)
ONS Travel to Work Area: Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes

Martin Green (UKIP)
Jane Liston (LD)
Alan Seath (Lab)

Craig Walker (SNP)
John Wheatley (C)

May 2012 result SNP 2200 Lab 2132 All Scotland Pensioners Party 271 Ind 192 C 155 Ind 147 LD 83
(seats: 2SNP/2Lab)May 2007 result SNP 3102 Lab 2212 C 384 Ind 376 LD 369 (seats: 2SNP/2Lab)


LLANTWIT MAJOR, Vale of Glamorgan county borough council; caused by the death of councillor Keith Geary who represented the Llantwit First Independents.

The third largest town in the Vale (after Barry and Penarth), Llantwit Major is an old town going back into antiquity: there was an Iron Age fort close to the modern beach, the Romans were here, and in the late fourth century the Emperor Theodosius I established a college here: the first known school established in Great Britain, it was named after the Emperor as "Cor Tewdws". Many well-known Celtic saints attended the college, including St David himself. As it was attached to a monastery, the school closed as part of the Dissolution; but the town around it survived at essentially the same size until growing substantially after the Second World War, thanks to the development of the large airfield of RAF St Athan just to the east of the town. The future of the airfield is now uncertain following the withdrawal of the RAF and the cancellation by the Coalition of a plan into a major defence training academy: the current Welsh Governemnt plan is to turn it into a civilian airfield. One new development which has gone ahead is the reopening of the town's railway station in 2005, with hourly trains to Bridgend and Cardiff.

Together with the neighbouring communities of Llan-maes and St Donats, Llantwit Major forms a four-seat division on the Vale of Glamorgan council. Those four seats are currently held by a localist slate called the Llantwit First Independents, although in the 2004 and 2008 elections the Tories had one of the seats. At the most recent election in 2012 the Llantwit First Independents polled 56% of the vote, to 22% for the Tories and 15% for Labour. Lovers of comical names will appreciate the woman at the bottom of the Conservative slate in the 2004 election: Vera Way.

Defending for the Llantwit First Independents is the serving Mayor of Llantwit Major, Mick Mason, a former serviceman who was posted to St Athan in 1974 and stayed in the area upon retiring from the Forces in 1981. The Tory and Labour candidates, Tony Bennett and Jack Hawkins respectively, will both be looking for good performances ahead of the general election in May, in which the Vale of Glamorgan will be a key marginal. Completing the ballot paper is Plaid's Wynford Bellin.

Parliamentary and Assembly constituency: Vale of Glamorgan (South Wales Central region)
ONS Travel to Work Area: Bridgend

Wynford Bellin (PC)
Tony Bennett (C)
Jack Hawkins (Lab)
Mick Mason (Llantwit First Ind)

May 2012 result Llantwit First Ind 2068/1603/1490/1327 C 813/759/544/536 Lab 541/502/471/411 PC 269
May 2008 result Llantwit First Ind 1894/1748/1470/1164 C 1291/1127/901/871 Lab 438/400/348/298 PC 270 Ind 262
June 2004 result Ind 1879/1371/1360/957 C 1146/988/744/671 Lab 783/741/706 PC 437

[Davıd Boothroyd]

No results by midnight but I hear Glenrothes is imminent.

Llantwit Major is definitely counting tonight, and I think Armadale is as well.

UPDATE: Armadale isn't counting until the morning, so I think we've had everything for tonight.